The city's proposed budget includes increases to park and pool rental costs, city league fees, zoo admission and trash services.

The potential changes are part of the proposed $826.2 million budget for the 2015 fiscal year, an increase of about 3.1 percent over the current year.

The proposed budget is expected to be formally presented to the City Council on July 21. Workshops with individual departments are scheduled throughout that week.

The fiscal year runs from Sept. 1 to Aug. 31, 2015.

To support that budget, the city is also proposing a tax rate increase of 2 to 69.9 cents per $100 of property valuation. The increase is due to the incurred debt from the quality-of-life bonds approved by voters in 2012, as well as the economic incentives for private business developments approved by council.

Several department heads said increases to services are needed to offset increased operating costs or to maintain or replace equipment.

"We're trying to safeguard the community benefit versus the individual use when it comes to our city facilities," said Tracy Novak, director of the city's Parks and Recreation Department. "We had to look for opportunities to recover some of our growing costs."

Novak said fees paid by individuals or groups to reserve and use city facilities such as party rooms, pools and park shelters may go up by about 20 percent. City league tournament fees may also increase by 20 percent, he added. Fees for seniors will remain the same under the proposal.

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The original proposal also called for cutting the city's park and pool operating hours, but Novak said other adjustments took that idea off the table.

"Limiting hours of usage is really the last resort," Novak said. "We don't believe we'll have to resort to that with other adjustments to our revenues and expenses."

Other proposed changes include implementing a $5 a week fee for the parks department's after-school program, which is now free. Novak said the department surveyed parents who use the program and 85 percent of the 190 respondents said they'd be willing to pay that fee.

The program will be expanded by taking it out of the recreation centers and adding more school sites. Some schools already partner with the city to offer the more formal programs that require parents to sign up their children and check them out daily.

The recreation centers will expand their less-formal drop-in program to allow students to stop by after school and participate in various activities, Novak said.

El Paso Zoo

The El Paso Zoo is also considering increasing its admission fee by $2 for adults and $1.50 for children, seniors and military to help offset increased operating costs, said Director Steve Marshall. School field trip prices will likely remain the same.

"Our gate prices still have us in the mid-range of the 45 zoos we benchmark ourselves against," Marshall said.

Admission prices to the zoo are $6 for children 3 to 12 years old; $10 for people 13 to 59 years old; $7.50 for seniors 60 and older and active military members and their families.

The zoo's proposed budget also calls for increasing the giraffe feeding fee $1 to $3 per person, he added.

To help increase revenues, the zoo is also considering selling beer as part of its concessions.

"First we looked at the local community," Marshall said. "Southwest University Park has been extremely successful and that's a very family-oriented venue that offers beer sales."

He said other businesses such as Adventure Zone, Peter Piper Pizza and movie bistros also sell beer and are able to maintain their family focus, as do the Houston, Dallas and Albuquerque zoos.

"Right now, it's something we're considering," Marshall said.

The zoo is conducting a guest survey to measure the public's interest in beer at the venue. He added that he doesn't see beer as a way to drive people to the zoo, but as a way to offer an added amenity.

The zoo's concessions are under a third-party contract, which means it would only receive a portion of the beer sale revenues.

Trash, parking meters

Another increase that my be facing residents is for garbage collection — $1 a month more per bin.

Ellen Smyth, director of the city's Environmental Services Department, said the increase to $17 a month for each container is estimated to generate $2.25 million a year. That will be used to replace trash trucks and other equipment, she said.

Smyth said the department has not increased the fee in seven years. Last year, council rejected a proposal to increase the fee by $2.

The departments' proposed budgets will be reviewed by the city manager, the mayor and council during the upcoming workshops and hearings, when adjustments can be made.

The hearings are open to the public and will be streamed live online and broadcast on the public access channel.

City Council has the final vote on the budget and tax rate, both of which are expected to be adopted Aug. 19.

City officials launched a website — elpasotexas.gov/omb — that allows the public to provide ideas and ask questions about the proposed budget and city services.

"We have a new tool that is in line with the City Council's strategic goal to garner more constituent input," said Lynly Leeper, the city's chief budget officer.

The webpage allows people to give cost-saving recommendations, ask questions abut the budget or comment about city services, Leeper said. The comments and responses will be posted on the site.

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